Hold up

What?  You can't believe your eyes?  Colleen's blogging?  Did hell freeze over?  Are pigs flying?

Yikes, it's been a while.  I must say, I've taken a little social media break.  No blogging, no blog reading, very little twitter and facebook.  I just don't have the time right now and quite honestly, it stresses me out a little thinking that I'm "behind" on social media.  I'm going to admit something and I hope it doesn't offend any of you...

I marked all blogs in my google reader as "read".

I'm sorry.  It was well past 450 unread blogs and it literally was stressing me out.  I love all of you and enjoy reading your blogs, but time just hasn't allowed me and I felt like I was sinking into a black hole. 

What did people do before blogs?

So I'm starting fresh.  I'm hoping I didn't miss anything too terribly much.  If I did, I'm so sorry.  I just had to prioritize a little and unfortunately that meant putting you, my favorite bloggers, on the back burner for a bit.  But it doesn't mean I don't love you!  I do... I promise!

So what's been new with me?

Fundraiser went AWESOME.  I think we raised about $63,000 this year for Women's Health at the local hospital.  I'm really proud of the event and where it's come in the last three years.  It's such a great cause and I feel so honored to have been a part of it for the last three years.  We've gotten people talking about it... anticipating the next year and that's very rewarding!  Everything came together exactly how we hoped!

This past weekend I was in Chicago with my second favorite team (Trakkers has my heart, don't worry!!!).  The Team Type 1 running team was doing the Chicago Marathon.  Although this was my "A" race of the season and I was hoping to go sub-4:00, that was put on hold for a later date.  I did manage to run half of it (I had a bib, so I started the race and then just walked off the course at mile 13.1).  That's a hard thing to do (both physically because at the half marker they have a fence on both sides of the course for a while so I couldn't get off the course and mentally because everyone else is still running and I'm adding a big fat DNF to my record willingly).  But it was either that or run alone along the lake that morning.  Much more fun to be in the environment and holy smokes was the environment crazy awesome.  I'm slowly getting back to running and feeling good.  My speed and endurance isn't there (although it never was really there, but humor me), but I'm working on it!!  In any event, I loved loved loved every minute with the TT1 guys.  They are such an amazing group of athletes, so inspiring people to be around, and freaking hysterical.  We laughed... a lot... and let me tell you... they kicked some serious butt at the race.  There were a few struggles along the way, but they stuck together as a team.  I love these guys and can't wait to see many of them in just a few weeks at the end of Run Across America in NYC.  Here they all are outside Maggiano's - the perfect prerace meal!

So I can't make any promises that I will be blogging more, and more involved in social media in the coming days.  Things are NUTSO in the Kingery house... more to come on that really soon. 

But I'll try my hardest.

I love you all still. And I just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten about all of you.

Someone special

I received this in the mail the other day -  a custom made necklace from a lady in Washington.  It had a note that said it was from a dear friend of mine and had been made for me with love.

It couldn't have come at a better time.  Tom and I have had a really horrible week and too many days were spent crying.  I saw this and just smiled.  I knew who it was from...

I think sometimes in life, someone special enters your life for one reason or another and they leave their mark forever.  It might not happen often (if just once, you're blessed) and the answer to "why" this person was put in your life may never be known, but you know when it happens, and know enough to not ask they "why" - it doesn't matter.

When I found out that I was on Team Trakkers, I was super excited for many reasons - I'm on a kick butt team, with 41 teammates, awesome sponsors, great races.  But never in a million years did I think that I would meet some of the best friends that I could have ever imagined.

And one of them in particular has already left her mark...

She and I clicked from the start.  Conversation came easy and our goals were so similar.  We emailed a lot about uniform sizes, bike sizes, which shoes we both were going to order - I swear we were the same on everything.  Soon we exchanged phone numbers so that we could talk for 45 minutes at a time about the season, the team, again our goals, etc.  But then those conversations grew, not only in duration, but also in content - I got to know more about her life, her family, her career, her dreams.  And she got to know more about mine.  She lives 500 miles away, but we have always been just a phone call away.

We finally met in Knoxville.  It was our first race together.  I could pick her out of a crowd.  We hugged like we had known each other for years and were reuniting after a long break.  We carried on as if we had been part of each others lives for decades... when in fact it had only been months.  Our husbands, God bless them, just shook their heads.  I know they were both thinking "oh boy... here's trouble".

People said we looked alike.  We got more "are you twins" and "are you sisters" questions in Knoxville than we could have imagined.  We even had teammates yelling my name as she ran by, thinking they were yelling for me.  Maybe we really were separated at birth like I always joked. I mean, her love for buckeye bars, the white gummy bears and baked cheetos was enough to convince me that we share the same brain cells!

This person, who I met via email a mere 7 months ago, has come into my life, touched my heart, and taught me so much.  Through her, I've learned that under no circumstance should there be judgements in friendship.  Jealousy and competitiveness aren't words that would ever cross my mind when thinking about her.  Support is a given, not a hope.  Laughing should be part of every conversation and the term "I love you" isn't for people who have known each other "x" number of years.  I can have a bad day and she senses it.  She needs someone to talk to, I sense it.  I feel like we've been through so much together... albeit 500 miles apart.

She gets me.  I get her.  And I'll forever be thankful that that special someone has entered my life, leaving her mark.

And if she reads this (which I'm sure she will) I hope she knows how lucky I am to have her in my life, and to call her my friend. I'll never ask "why", because it really doesn't matter...

My naked race report

So I did it.  I raced naked.  It was joyous and liberating and I'll probably do it again.  I loved every one's comments about it and have a lot to say about it if you are interested.  More than anything, I loved not knowing how fast I was going.  I wore my watch (cause it's a habit), but didn't start it and didn't know what time we started (the waves were all late anyway).  My bike computer (which I thought I would still use) read "0" all day - something wasn't working.  And it was awesome!  I went by feel alone.  I pushed harder than I think I usually do.   And you know what???

I freaking PRed by a lot!

Here's the race report... I'll try to keep it short, but I do have pictures so YAY!

Overall Stats:
Swim (.5 miles) - 14:24
T1 - 1:21
Bike (17 miles) - 48:08 (21.2mph)
T2 - 1:04
Run (3.1 miles) - 24:07 (7:47's)
Overall time - 1:29:01
2nd out of 31 in Age Group
68 out of 500 Overall


So Saturday, I totally just chilled. Tom signed up for his first ever bike race so I was his cheering squad.  It was a 9 mile, 3 loop course and he was entered as a Cat 5.  Poor guy was so nervous.  He did great, until he got a flat with 3 miles to the finish.  Dang it.  But he's addicted so he'll be out there again.  I counted a lot of bikes, and 3 horse and buggy's.  We weren't in Delaware, anymore. :) See the buggy in the back???

This morning I woke up ready to race.  I love that feeling.  Stomach was a little sloshy, but nothing unusual.  The race site is only 15 minutes from our house, at most, so we didn't have to leave super early.  I love local races.  Got to the race site, got everything checked in, and met my parents who were unbelievable in coming out to see us race at an ungodly time on a Sunday morning.  I'm so blessed to have them both.  Plus, my mom played photographer for the day so we were able to get pictures!  Always a plus! (Thanks mom...)

Around 7, we started to put on our wetsuits.  Does this ever get easier?  Seriously, this is not an easy feet.  Thankfully the TRISLIDE works wonders and the baby, for the most part, slide right up.  I love my Hurricane 5 from TYR.  I feel like a poser in it since I'm so stinking slow, but looking good is half the battle, right?

The swim was fine.  I positioned myself waaaaaay outside because the water is deeper and because there was no one there.  I swam with all of the 30-34 year olds (guys and girls) and only groped one girl's butt so all in all, a successful swim.  14:24, I'll take that - I haven't been working on the swim too much so I can't expect anything amazing here.

T1 was nice and zippy, but the run to the mount line was loooooong.

The bike was awesome.  Without a computer, I just went by feel and I felt great.  I was passing a crapton of people and only counted three people who passed me - they were from the wave after me and were smoking.  Tom was one of them, but I was proud that it took probably 16.25 miles for him to catch me... it's usually way faster than that.  I did find myself looking at my computer a lot.  Like I said, it always read "0" so I didn't get any data from it.  Bad habits are hard to break I guess!  But I just felt like my Kestrel was floating... the fit is so perfect and it's a fast bike! Tom and I made it into transition together which was fun.  I ended up averaging 21.2mph which was awesome.  Tom thought that the course was a little long so it might have been faster.  Who knows, who cares!  I was the 5th fastest woman on the bike out of 172.  And I was the 47th fastest overall out of 500.  That's pretty cool!

T2 I just did my thing and ran out with Tom.  He said "let's run this together". Ha... well, it was good to start together.

The run was a familiar course, and although it's a simple 3.1 miles, the course is kind of wacky as it's part on a gravel path (which happened to be super muddy and filled with puddles) and then part on a grass trail over a dam.  It's really hard to pass people up there though so I honestly had no clue what I was running.  Tom had taken off about .5 mile into the run and that was fine.  I needed to go by feel.  I passed a few people and found a groove.  It was great not constantly looking to see my pace.  I thought I was sluggish, but looking at the results, I finally put a run together, averaging 7:47's for the 5k!

I got to the finish line, super happy with things.  My dad had started his watch when my wave went off and told me he thought that I was somewhere around 1:29.  I had two goals for this race which I hadn't told anyone.  For one, I wanted to run sub-8's.  And the other... to finish under 1:30.  Last year on this course, I did a 1:33:59!

I checked the standings after everyone was finish.  I finished in 1:29:01 and came in 2nd out of 31 girls.  That amazed me.  I couldn't wipe the smile off my face!

It was fantastic seeing so many of our friends there.  Jim, Tracy and Zach Aust were there and kicked major butt (as always) coming in 1st, 1st and 2nd in their age groups (Oh... and Jim was 5th overall, Zach in 9th and Tracy in 19th and the 2nd female!!!)  They are my adopted family and we love them so much!  Tom had an amazing race, especially after hearing him tell me that he had nothing in his legs from the bike race the day before.  He finished in 1:23, 7th out of 50 in his AG, and 27th overall.  Oh... and he had the 9th fastest bike of the day out of 500!  Scary to think what he could have done without racing the day before.  We also got to see Dave and Meredith too which was fun.  Dave raced and although I know he said he didn't hit his goals, he looked strong on the course!  It's so fun seeing friends out there! Here's a picture with us and team Austome! :)

ULTRAFIT-USA did a great job with the race.  We love the Wendy's International Tri.  Great competition, surrounded by a bunch of people we know, on our home turf.  Doesn't get better than that!

So the question is this - I have an Olympic in two weeks.  Virtually the same course.  Should I run naked again??? :)

REV3 Knoxville

It's all about perspective.  I learned that this weekend.  If you live in a hilly area, this course is awesome.  If you live in central Ohio, this course is brutal (but still awesome).  If you train all winter in a warm place where you can swim and bike and run outside, it's not too early for a half Ironman.  If you live in Central Ohio and Mother Nature hates you,  it's going to be a bit of a struggle.  If you think about how lucky you are to have the ability to move your body 70.3 miles, you'll love every minute of it, no matter how slow, hard, and hilly the day is!

We got to Knoxville on Friday, checked into out hotel (which was located right at the finish line and perfect), checked into the race, walked around the finish line area and finally met up with teammates.  It was so fun to finally put faces with names and I'll always laugh about us twitter and facebook stalking people as they walked by in their lime green visors, trying to figure out who everyone was.  A lot of  "hi, I'm Colleen... aka Irondiva or @CBKingery. :)  We ended up grabbing a great Mexican dinner on Friday night with a bunch of the team and Tom's teammates.  Lots of laughs!

Saturday was super busy.  We met in the morning for the practice swim.  Holy crap - the water was cold.  And yet, I freaked a little.  Again, about perspective.  I've been swimming in a pool which is probably 82 degrees or so.  Tom's two teammates are from California and thought the 62 degree water of the Tennessee River wasn't too bad.  I couldn't feel my feet, hands or face.  But it was fine.  The TYR Hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit was AWESOME and I'm not just saying that because they are a sponsor.  The thing freaking rocks... flexible, no chaffing, kept me floating and warm! :)  Two thumbs up.  

After the practice swim, I showered, busted out my "I pee on my bike" shirt (thanks Triathlon Rocks!) and grabbed some grub before volunteering at the registration tent for a few hours.  People loved my shirt - some took pictures, some asked if I really do that, others just said "best shirt we've ever seen" (btw, if you want one, you can contact Triathlon Rocks and tell them I sent you - they'll give you a special deal!  Their website should be up shortly, but they are on twitter @TriathlonRocks). 

After volunteering, I got my bike to check, realized my brakes were rubbing something fierce that I couldn't fix, totally freaked out and luckily the great people at the mechanic tent took care of Papa Smurf and made it better.  I love my Kestrel to death, but the breaks are a little funky and I changed my wheels out which weren't working real well with the set up.  They got my bike done by 7:15 (bike check in closed at 6) but I was still able to get it in there, all settled and ready. Quick bite to eat with Tom's team and I was ready to crash!

I slept well the night before the race, but had been on my feet WAY more than I wanted on Saturday and woke up Sunday a little groggy and sleepy.  And nervous.  Did I mention that?  Holy nerves.

Tom, his team, my twin Kristin and I walked to transition and got everything set up.  It was chilly in the morning and all I could think about was how cold the water was going to be.  My stomach was flip flopping.  I found Tom and we walked out of transition and the tears started.  I just felt like I was in over my head with this race.  He assured me that I was fine and to remember that I'm not racing it.  This isn't a course that suited me well - we don't have the terrain around Columbus to get us fully prepared for the climbs, and it's early in the season.  I knew I wanted to treat it as a training day and just get through it. 

We got our wetsuits on and made our way to the swim start.  It's an in water start and all of the half women started together in pink caps.  Tom was in our wave too because he changed to the aqua bike so I smiled when the man on the mic yelled "the party has started now that the women are in the water".  The women and Tom. :)  He was loving it...

Swim - I positioned myself in the back of the pack.  Tom didn't think I needed to be that far back, but felt like I was going to panic.  There were a lot of pink caps in front of me and the water was cold (although it felt warmer than the practice swim).  The horn sounded and I panicked.  Full on "oh my God, I'm going to die" panic.  Called that one.  As the pink caps swam off, I did a quick pep talk.  I can do this.  I swim all the time.  Head in a go.  Maybe a minute later, I was totally calm, swimming in a body free bit of water and passing some pink caps, then some yellow (the wave before).  The turn out seemed to be 5 miles away and there was not the help of the current that I was hoping for.  I felt like I was in the water forever, and that was fine.  I got out in 48 minutes.  Shoot... that was really slow.  I later learned that the course was long and on average, people were 5-6 minutes longer than usual.  Made me feel better, but I'm still slow.

T1pokey for some reason and didn't get out real quick.  I think it was like 2:30. HA!

Bike - Remember how I said Tom was going to bike with me.  Yeah, that lasted about .05 miles! :)  This course was a dream for him (he was in the top 5% of the bike overall).  I just got comfortable and knew it would be tough.  I didn't however think it would be that tough (Wes, you warned me and I will forever listen to you!).  Again, perspective... when you don't bike any hills, it felt like I was climbing mountains.  The course was beautiful and I really have to tip my hat to REV3.  The volunteers were amazing and I loved having police AND volunteers at ever intersection.  I used my small ring a lot.  I just rode comfortable.  I ate when I needed. Drank my EFS Grape (love that stuff)  Yes, I peed on my bike.  I think I averaged like 17.2mph and I was thrilled with that.   It might have been my slowest half bike at 3:15, but I was happy with it.

T2- I got to transition and Tom was finished with his race and waiting.  Kristin's bike was the only one in my rack at this point (she rocked her race btw getting 2nd in our age group and I am so excited for her).  I guess others struggled with the course too.  I couldn't for the life of me get my belt on right.  And I think I yelled at Tom to not take pictures of me trying to get my shoes on.  Yelled hi to Meredith and Dave and got on my way.

Run - Again, I just wanted to take this run comfortably.  I turned my watch off.  I didn't care what pace I was running.  My legs felt a little sluggish, but I was happy.  The first couple of miles were flat and went by quickly, but I knew I was running a very slow comfortable pace.  I got to maybe mile 3.5 and the climbs started.  Short and steep.  Mile 4 had a huge climb.  Miles 5-8 were up and down.  I never thought "I want to be done" but I knew that I was running a very slow pace.  It felt right that day...  I saw some teammates and cheered them on.  I talked to people, thanked the volunteers and police.  Running to the finish line was amazing. 

I finished in 6:19:xx. That's slow for me.  But it was a great race - I was comfortable, happy, enjoying it.  I didn't care about being fast, what my pace was, where I was in the pack.  I just moved forward.  A teammate told me to repeat "I eat pain for breakfast" when it hurt and I added "I eat hills for lunch" which kept me smiling.

I ended up 5th in my age group out of 20.  Not too shabby for a training day.  Trakkers rocked - I'm so honored to be racing with my teammates who are pure rock stars... a few podiums, a few big PR's!

So I'm home now and sick as a dog.  Sunday night I started to feel crappy with a sore throat and itchy eyes.  Yesterday was all out cold.  Last night I slept 11 hours, got up, ate breakfast and went back to bed for another 4.5 hours.  And I could shut my eyes now and probably sleep till morning.  My body is run down.  Oh... and for all of you asking about Tom's Achilles.  We don't know what's wrong.  It started bothering him 2 weeks ago.  No distinctive pop.  Lots of swelling and absolutely no way he could run.  Not a ton of pain, but went to the ART tent on Saturday before the race and they wouldn't touch it.  They said that there was a visible ridge which made them think rupture.  YIKES.  He raced the aqua bike Sunday (and came in 2nd out of 8!) and it felt fine, but he couldn't walk the rest of the evening.  It's probably two times the size it should be and we have an appointment with a sports med doctor on Thursday.  I'll keep you updated!

REV3 does things right.  From check in, to the volunteers, the race and the finish line party, everything was top notch. I honestly felt this was one of the most organized races I've ever done.  All of the little nuisances that usually bother me at races weren't there.  This is a top notch race and I'm hoping to be back next year.  But, I'm going to have to find some hills this time around!

Teaser...

Totally flattering, I know...

I'm home, I'm sick, I have a stack of a bazillion things to do. 

BUT...

Knoxville was awesome.  REV3 is amazing... top notch race.  Team Trakkers - simply the best!

I survived, barely - race report to come!

Three Thought Thursday

1.  My week has been nuts.   I'm so sorry that I'm behind in blogging.  My google reader multiplies daily and I promise to get to them as soon as I can!!!
2. Thank you all so much for the comments on my last blog.  I was having a woe is me day.  After reading all of the amazing thoughts though, I realize I'm totally not alone!  You are the best!
3. It's race week.  I'm leaving tomorrow for Knoxville.  Will be racing the Half REV on Sunday.  Can't wait to meet some of my teammies and finally get this tri season underway!
4. (Okay, so I know I said three, but whatever).  Good luck this weekend to everyone race - my TRAKKERS teammates in Knoxville (there are too many of you to list), Tom's Team Type 1 teammates in Knoxville, Matty-O, his wife Heather, and Beal who are all racing the Cleveland Marathon.  Anyone else I miss???

T-minus 25 days

That is, until REV3 Knoxville.  **insert panic here**

What was I thinking signing up for a 70.3 in May?  I mean, if you live in a warm state, fine.  But I've only been on my bike outside three times this year.  I'm slowly getting into more consistent runs outside, but it's still not a ton.  And swimming outside... That won't happen here until June.

That's AFTER my first 70.3 of the season.

And like it goes every year...  The first open water swim of the year is miserable.  I get in the water - it's freezing.  I can't sight because there aren't pool lines and I forget how to pick my head up in between breaths.  I panic because of the fish and grime that I am swimming among. The water can't get in my mouth.  The wetsuit usually feels tighter than I remember on my chest and shoulders.  I'm gasping for air and all the work that I've done on bilateral breathing - right out the door.  I succumb to a float, on my back, questioning why I possibly think I'll ever get through the season.  Somehow I roll back over, put my head in, make my way through my swim and remember that it'll be better next swim.

I'm worried that this will all happen in Knoxville though - hopefully during the practice swim on Saturday and not race day on Sunday. Luckily, I have an amazing sponsor in TYR.  As a member of Team Trakkers, I was able to pick out my wetsuit of choice for the season. Score!  I can use all the help I can get in the swim as it is.  The new suit arrived on Monday.  Although I won't swim in it until May, I can tell it's amazing.  From the TYR website, the Hurricane Category 5 is the highest-end suit in the Hurricane series and created using the finest fabrics available. The suit’s outside is made exclusively of the lightest Yamamoto Nano SCS rubber. The combination of super stretchy rubber with the soft jersey fabric on the interior makes for a superior fit and feel.

I can tell it's going to be awesome.

And luckily for TYR, they will get some great marketing with me in the suit because instead of seeing this view of the wetsuit as I swim,

inevitably they'll get some great pictures of me in Knoxville showing this view of it,

as I floating on my back, questioning my whole tri season.

Sunday recap

It's been a busy week.  This was the first "hard" week of training - ie, 12+ hours and I felt it by the end of today.  It feels good to be back into the swing of a program though. I'm enjoying pushing myself and being spent by the time my workouts are done.  And not once did I sit and think to myself "why did I sign up for another Ironman". Always a good week when that happens.  I'm happy that I had my EFS Grape drink to get me through my workouts and then my First Endurance Cappuccino Ultragen for my recovery.  Seriously, if you are looking for a great tasting product that is easy on the belly, check out First Endurance.  Yes, they are a sponsor of my team, but I am a believer in their products.  I've only been using them for a month or two and I am really happy. Oh, and check out my testimonial about Recovery Pump on their newish website!  HA... love it!  Okay, enough product raving! :)

So my totals for last week looked like this:

Swim - 5100 meters

Bike - 76.4 miles

Run - 27.6 miles

I'm happy with that.  I feel like I'm getting stronger - it's a slow process and I have to be patient.  I have a half marathon in two weeks which will be a good test for me. I'm not looking to PR, but I'm hoping to feel confident going into it!

Tom ran the New Jersey Ultra marathon this past weekend with the Team Type 1 Running Team.  Mad props to these guys.  You all know that they are all type 1 diabetics, yada, yada, yada.  But, one of the guys came in 2nd in the marathon with a 2:55, one of them came in 1st in the 100k in 8:55 and one of them came in 4th in the 100 miler in 17:28.  The team had a great debut - I can't wait to see what they all do the rest of the season! By the way, check out the team's new website (here).  I may be a little biased since I'm married to him, but I think the web guy did a great job with the new site! :)

Team Trakkers totally rocked this weekend too.  Tons of teammates racing and training all over the place - 70.3's in exotic locations, the new 5150 series, half marathons, 10 milers, 100+mile bikes, 4050m swims.  So motivating! Congrats to everyone.  I can't believe that it's only 56 days until my first tri with these guys.  Not only is it a huge eek because it's my first tri of the season, but also because it's a half Ironman.  In May.  What was I thinking???

I keep an eye on my followers and I've been stuck on 143 for a while.  If you read my blog and I don't know about it (through you being a follower or commenting), come out of the woodwork. I'd love to know!  So many people say "I saw your picture on your blog", but they never comment or aren't followers. I want to know that you are out there!  

And I'll leave you with a quote that I saw on twitter today that totally made me laugh:

"Every time you fart as you're walking through first class getting on a plane, Jesus high-fives your grandmother."

 

A little horn tootin'

I tend to talk a lot about how great Team Trakkers is (because, well, we are...) but this post is going to toot someone else's horn.  Don't worry... it's deserved. 

First, as many of you know, my husband Tom is a Type 1 diabetic (I'm sorry... a person with diabetes).  Anyhoo... to spare you all the history which I'm sure I've posted a time or two, here's a brief recap:

• He was diagnosed at age 28 - no family history
• At the time he was training for his 8th or 9th marathon and just getting into tri's
• SOOOO many people were quick to tell him that he couldn't work out anymore because of his diagnosis (doctors included)
• He decided to do an Ironman
• And has since completed 4
• He learned quickly that Type 1 Diabetes isn't a death sentence at all!
• He is also a member of Team Type 1 - which consists of 100 athletes who live and race with diabetes... you know, because they can't do things. 
• The team consists of a pro team (you might have heard of them racing in races with the likes of ... oh ... all the big name teams (Lance included)), a development team, an elite team, a women's team, a triathlon team and just this year, a running team
• The elite team has won a little race called Race Across America 4 times and currently have the world record for fastest time (5 days, 9 hours and 5 minutes) and speed across the country for an eight man team (my hubby raced two of those years, including the record year - toot toot)
• Not only are they competitive in their chosen sport, they spent a combined 700 days last year speaking to diabetics, doctors and medical professionals on behalf of their diabetes related sponsors.
• These athletes are for real and all amazing people with amazing stories.

So that's the first horn toot.  Team Type 1 is amazing and if you get a chance to ever meet or race with any of them, they will knock your socks off!

Tom's the manager for the triathlon and run team.  The run team is new this year and made up of 15 amazing runners (their average marathon time is like a 3:06.  One of them came in 4th at the Atlanta marathon.  A few of them have won or placed at multiple ultras and when they talk about the races they usually skim over miles 20-60 which always amazes me).  Anyway since they have these great runners, Tom and the team founder decided, "why not challenge them a little and have them run across the country instead of sending the bikers out this year".  Who in their right mind would volunteer for this?

Well, starting in October, they have 10 Type 1 diabetic runners who will start a relay trek from Oceanside California and end approximately 3,000 miles later in NYC on World Diabetes Day.  They think it'll take around 15 days (people... that's averaging 8:15's or something crazy like that and averaging like 20 miles a day).  This isn't a formal race.  They are simply running to raise awareness for Type 1 diabetes and promote the thing that they all believe...

Diabetes doesn't have to be a limiter and that you can do anything you want with the disease.

So that's my second horn toot.

Since Tom's working on the logistics, we were beyond thrilled when Megan at BuildASign contacted us to see if we wanted to make something free of charge at their website.  We jumped at the opportunity and I have to thank Megan from the bottom of my heart.  She and the whole gang at BuildASign are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!  We decided to make 24x24 car magnets for Team Type 1 to use on their trek across the country.  Megan graciously threw in two 12x12 car magnets for them to use as well.  They arrived on Friday and turned out incredible. 

So thank you Megan and BuildASign!  And if any of you need any personalized products made, you can't go wrong with these guys!  Quality products and great people to work with! That's my third horn toot.

And don't worry Team Trakkers, Team Type 1 is great, but they ain't got nothing on us! :)  Oh... and they are racing the REV3 series so their might be a little show down between us.  They will bring their A game for sure, but we aren't a team to mess with. 

Nothing like husband and wife gunning for each other!

It's Wednesday already?

I swear I keep thinking it's Tuesday. I haven't blogged in over a week.  Definitely not for lack of things to write about - more like work is kicking my butt (yay!) and by the time my day is done, I don't have the energy to put a sentence or ten together for a blog.  So here I am, squeaking in a little time before my day gets away from me.  Probably best to update in randoms (but I have pictures so that makes up for it, right?)...

• Didn't do the 15 miler this past weekend.  I had all intentions of it, but my Achilles/ankle/foot has been bothering me and I was worried what kind of damage pounding on it for 15 miles would do.  I woke up Sunday morning, ran about 2 houses down from ours to "test" it, burst into tears and came home.  I really wanted to run with Tom.  I ended up hopping on the bike for 1:45 and then heading to the race to sherpa for him.  He ran 5 before the race and then rocked the 15 hilly windy miles by himself.  I couldn't have kept up anyway!

• I always have a hard time recovering and with another 140.6 on the schedule, I know how hard the long training days become.  You never quite feel recovered.  Team Trakkers recently found out we are sponsored by Recovery Pump.  When we received this news, I was super excited.  I had no clue what it was going to be like, but I received mine in the mail yesterday.  AWESOME!  I sat with these bad boys on for just a few minutes to see what they are all about and I can honestly say there might not be anything that I'm more excited about this year.  They may look silly, but my legs are sooooo happy.  And yes, I have freakishly long legs.  This picture exaggerated them a lot though. :)  Thanks Recovery Pump!!! 

• I'm over hearing my hubby say "you smell like the pool.  Did you shower?".  Um.. yes I showered, but our pool dumps gallons upon gallons of chlorine in it to ward off the nasty from it being a community pool and no matter how much I scrub, inevitably I smell like the pool.  I received this little gem of a package in the mail the other day from our sponsor SBR Sports, Inc.  My teammates swear by this stuff and I kept thinking "how good can it really be?".  I used it after my last swim and I'll just leave it with, I'm a fan.  If you swim in a pool, get some of this stuff.  For real.  I'm anxious to try the Foggle and the TriSlide too.

• My new favorite meal is a spinach salad with cottage cheese as the dressing.  If you know me, you know I love me some cheese.  This is a great way to top my salad... no guilt of dressing and some added protein!  YUMMO! (and yes, those are crouton... you take some and you leave some.  I know they are little squares of fat.  Baby steps people... baby steps)

• I'm hoping to get out on the bike tomorrow.  It's supposed to be near 60 here in Columbus.  The Kestrel comes any day and unfortunately it won't be ready for tomorrow, but I'm fine with riding Flica a time or two more in February... outside!  I'm so stinking excited.  With the Kestrel being shipped, that means I should have some bike porn in the next few days... I know you can't wait! :)
• My Buddy Boy is too sweet.  He's starting to get older and I think as he gets older, he gets cuter and cuter.  This is his place each and every night before dinner (right under foot at the counter by the stove).  Just waiting, hoping that mommy drops something.  Usually I accidently on purpose make sure he knows he's loved... that's why he's about 20 pounds overweight.  But he's happy.

• We're heading off to see my grandparents this weekend in North Carolina.  They are the ones with Alzheimer's.  God love them.  I know it's going to be a hard trip since I know they don't remember Tom and I'm not sure they know who I am, but I'm glad that I'm getting out there.  I'm bringing my chocoholic grandma some homemade chocolate dipped pretzels.  I'm bound to win her over with those if she doesn't recognize me, right? :)

Sorry for being MIA lately and I'm trying my best to get caught up with all of your lives. I'm working on it... I really am! Happy Wednesday everyone! 

You are great

I just have to say, you are all great. I loved the comments about my need for a vacation, as well as the good thoughts during our ski/casino trip. Here's an update for you - the vacation idea kind of came and went. We booked a cruise and then proceeded to cancel it less than 24 hours later when my voice of reason kicked in. Damn it sucks being responsible! Honestly, it would have been heaven to sit in the sun with an umbrella drink and read trashy educational magazines, but the cruise lines get ya, hook line and sinker. I booked this great 3 day cruise for an unbelievably low price (like too good to be true low price). Then it happens - you find out that it's going to cost $170 to get from the airport to the boat, $200 to get my passport renewed and to me in less than 4 weeks, $60+ dollars in tips, who knows how much $ for beer and soda, $ for a dog sitter, $ to park out car at the airport while we are gone, etc. I guess I was having an airhead moment when I booked and thought that I was actually getting off that easy. So being a grown up, I realized that wasn't a smart choice and canceled. We're traveling to some great locations for races this year - Knoxville, Portland, Chicago and Sandusky (what, you mean the beach and water at Lake Erie aren't like that of the Bahamas?) so I need to just suck it up buttercup and realize that if I want to spoil myself in the sun, I can move out of Ohio. :)

As for the casino and ski trip - great time! BUT... we didn't ski (which was good because that means I didn't have a chance to break my face, and yes, you can totally break your face). My poor momma has been in PT for some hamstring problems for quite a while now and she was really scared to risk hurting herself some more (not to mention she has a bum back). It would have been hard for all of us to enjoy the day, knowing that she was trying to be a tough girl for us, or worse, sitting in the "lodge" while we were having fun. We opted to stay in the casino and blow through some more money. Honestly, I didn't lose much (although I didn't win much either... penny slots are not big payers). There was a lady at a machine down from us that was all nonchalant when the bells started ringing above her machine. She won $82000 on a quarter machine. $82000! She just sat there and smiled. Hello - Tom and I said that we would have been doing carpet angels and running around like we just struck gold. Hell, I almost did that when I won $50 on the Zeus penny slot game. I was big time people...

Okay, so that's that. I have other exciting news and needed to wait to tell you because I needed to break it to my mom first (no, I'm not pregnant).

I've decided to do another 140.6. I know. I know. What happened to the "I'll never do that again" statement? If you know me, you know that it's total BS and to never listen to me. I said that after my first marathon (and I've since done another 6) and my first three Ironman races. I'm super excited though. I've decided to race the full at Cedar Point for a couple of reasons:

• It's a REV3 race and we know that it'll be top notch (and they won't run out of water on a 96 degree day)
• My teammates will be there and many of them will be racing - and I'm sure the smart others who raced the half will make it a party, cheering all of the long distance course people.
• Three words - BLOGGER MEET UP (I mean, hello so many of us will be there - Sunday night could get crazy!)
• It's in Ohio. A 140.6 in Ohio!
• I totally feel like I got robbed at IMLOU. That's all I need to say about it.
• I honestly enjoy training for an Ironman in the summer. Yes, I bitch about it. I'm not going to lie because there are days when it sucks. But in general, I love knowing that my body can do what it does and training for an Ironman distance race tests your body to the fullest.
• I have some goals. Some time goals. I want to see some results of my hard work!

And speaking of Team Trakkers, they introduced the pro team the other day.

Team Trakkers/REV3 2011 from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! The full professional team includes:
Hillary Biscay: 2008 Ironman Wisconsin Champion; 15-time top-three Ironman finisher
Courtenay Brown: Danskin Tri & Silverman Half winner; Inside Tri columnist
Kathleen Calkins: 2010 REV3 Cedar Point 3rd place; Top Amateur Kona 2009
Richie Cunningham: 2x 70.3 Champion; 4x Top-Five 70.3 World Championships
Brian Fleischmann: 1st World Team Champs; 2x 2nd place USAT National Champs
Jacqui Gordon: Multiple Ironman and 70.3 Top-Ten finisher
Amanda Lovato: 2010 Pucón 70.3 Champion; Multiple Half Ironman Champion; Multiple Top-Five Ironman finisher
Michael Lovato: 2x Ironman Champion; 3x Top-Ten Kona; 3x National Champion
Chris McDonald: 3x Ironman Champion
Jessica Meyers: 2010 Augusta 70.3 Champ; US National Team; Armed Services Champion
Matt Sheeks: 2010 Duathlon Pro National Champion; 2009 Duathlon AG World Champion

I know that I've said it already and I'll say it again and again - it's still kind of unreal that I'm racing for a team like Trakkers. Our sponsors are amazing (REV3, Kestrel Bikes, Avia, Canari, TYR, All3Sports, First Endurance, SBRSports).

It's going to be a good year... a very good year!

Two things...

Thing #1 -
I know that the going green phenomenon is huge right now. And you all know that I'm going green in my own way! I already love being part of Team Trakkers. It's been what, like a month since I was invited to be part of the team and I already feel like I've known some of these people forever. I can't wait to race with them all. My new Kestrel has been ordered (I went with the 4000 Pro and I know it's going to be a beaut). My new Avia Lite III's have been ordered. First Endurance was just announced as our nutrition sponsor. And I signed up for my REV3 races too. I'm excited to be racing at new venues - Knoxville, Portland and Cedar Point. And then I found this little beauty the other day. Can you say perfect pre-race shirt??? :) And no, it's not a St. Patty's Day shirt. It's a Go Team Trakkers shirt. I swear!

It's kind of surreal to be a sponsored athlete. I mean, I'm not out winning races. I've placed a few times here and there, but I'm not what I always visioned the "sponsored athlete" being. It's definitely an honor to have companies believing in our team, knowing that sure, some of the athletes are totally badass (who am I kidding, we're all badasses in our own way!), but there are a lot of us that are doing what we love (be it a little slower than others) and having the time of our lives. We're relateable athletes (yep, that's a word)... we have school and jobs and spouses and kids - just like most triathletes. We work hard to get better, but remember that racing is more than placing (although placing is super fun and we know that too). We all have traits that make us good candidates to represent an amazing organization and some outstanding companies.

Still doesn't mean that I don't pinch myself every now and then to make sure that this isn't all a dream.

GO GREEN!

Thing #2 -

Okay, so I've been contemplating changing the name of my blog. When I first started this blog it was called "Fighting for 15". It started as a weight loss blog and well, I never lost 15 pounds and quite frankly decided that life was too short to write a blog about my weight loss struggles. Anyone who read it (which was like my mom and my sister) probably thought that I was off my rocker, obsessing with my weight anyhow. Then I signed up for an Ironman. People always asked if I was offended that I was doing a race called an IronMAN and when I finished, if I would call myself an IronWOMAN. Nope. I'd be Ironman. And a damn proud one at that. I considered starting a women's Ironman training site or training community and calling it Irondivas. That's how it started. Yes, I'm an Ironman. But I'm as far as a diva as they come (unless you ask my hubby and yes, some days I do exhibit some diva traits, but really, what woman doesn't???). Honestly, I'm a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl. I never wear heels. Never. I don't wear makeup. And if I blow dry my hair and straightened it, it's probably because I have an important meeting. Otherwise, it's in a pony tail. All. The. Time. Expensive things... not unless I have a coupon or a gift card or it will make me faster. So why is this blog still called Irondiva?

Problem is, I can't think of anything cute, fun, witty. I always read blogs of people with these great titles. Me, yep, not so much. Any suggestions?

Balance

I've been a bit overwhelmed lately. I think that would be the right word. And I'm really bad at handling being overwhelmed. When I have more than one project going on at a time or one emotionally draining situation, I tend to shut down. I get cranky. The hubs and I argue. I eat. I sleep. I guess I'm not good at the whole multitasking thing. But in my defense, it's just been a lot of adjustments, new responsibilities, etc. and I'm working on getting those ducks lined up.

As Tom and I were running our second set of 81+ laps at the gym this week (I have more gym observations... keep reading), we started talking about the whole "Word of 2011" idea. At the same time, we both said Balance.

Balance

That is our word. And it's not just balancing the eight million things that need done on any given day (although I'll get to that). It's balancing my emotions for things I can't control too, which is probably the bigger problem lately.

I think the hardest part is identifying what will help balance your life. For me, here's a glimpse:

• Giving up kickboxing. Well not totally. I've quit the kickboxing studio. I've learned a lot in the three months that I was there. My gym has two bags and I'm hoping to put myself through a workout two or three times a week. The drive was 25 minutes each way for the kickboxing class and that's valuable time. Plus, doing that three days a week meant that I was swimming, biking and running twice each a week and I felt like it wasn't enough - and my workouts struggled when I did kickboxing in the morning and my tri workouts in the evening. I was down a road of burnout if I wasn't careful. It's hard still to workout 1.5-2+ hours 6-7 days a week. Yes, I want to be happy and yes, I want to be healthy. But I'm not a pro.
• Give up some control over our fundraiser to my very capable committee. They are an amazing group of people and so many times I find myself saying "it's just easier if I do it myself" (do you do this too?). I don't know if it's because I trust myself way more than anyone else and the success of this fundraiser very much falls on my shoulders, or if I just like to create more work for myself. It's no wonder I have my committee is always so happy... I shield them from a lot of the mundane tasks! I'm kidding... they will do a great job filling my shoes in some areas!
• Finding time to not only foster the business relationships that I already have, but also market to new people. This is super hard for me since Tom now has a full time job that doesn't have to do with our company. Our success depends on my daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual effort. Admitting the problem is the first step right?
• I've written a little about the emotional drain of some seriously toxic friendships that I lost this year. I can't lie and say that the day the sh*t hit the fan, I instantly moved on. I didn't. That wouldn't have been normal. I don't wish that things were different, but I wish I had answers or that I could have had some control in how things ended. Some days I wish that those people hurt the way I did. (I know... that's horrible to say) I know that if things hadn't happened when they did, they would have eventually crumbled apart. I had actually predicted that it would have happened in December of 2010. Kind of weird that I saw it coming and didn't get away. I hold on to that a lot. I need to balance the frustration that I still struggle with, with the great friendships that I do have.
• I have another rocky relationship with two people who are very close to me. It's been rocky for years now and without going into too much detail, I can't just drop them from my life. They've made me see things that I don't like, traits that I would never want others to see in me or Tom. I want things to be different and unfortunately they never will be. I know that. It's not something I have the power to change. Again, I need to find peace in the fact that there are so many people in my life that aren't like these people. And that it's okay to be frustrated, but not every day.

This is just the start of a very important year. I think it's going to be a great one, but to balance it all is going to be the only way I come out on top!
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And some non-deep-life-pondering stuff.

I lost 4.2 pounds last week. I didn't have a single cookie. I honestly believe that was the reason for my success. (maybe that and counting ww points, measuring my portions, and doing all of my workouts). This week... um... yeah. Well there's always next week. :)

I'm super excited that I'm finally starting to register for my 2011 races. There's something about actually getting the sign up confirmation that makes it real. Like there's no backing out now. Definitely a good motivator (especially when you put a countdown widget on your desktop homepage and you see it a million times a day). My frist tri is in 122 days? That's can't be right can it? Bigger motivator... being part of Team Trakkers and hearing about how my teammates are being rock stars and training hard for all of their races. You guys rock!

You want gym observations? It was a pretty quiet day yesterday. First to the girl on the treadmill with no tv (why anyone would choose this one is beyond me). You probably don't need to bring your portable fan that YOU attached to the treadmill if you didn't wear tights, shorts, and a long sleeve inside. You brought your own fan. And you wore sunglasses. Just an FYI, my husband thinks you're a diva. And to the guy kickboxing in the corner. We like the shadow boxing with the bag as it swings back and forth, but it sounds like you are going to break your foot when you kick it with no shoe on. Did you notice your super red and already swollen foot? We did. That's not normal dude.

Lastly, it's funny how the little things can make me so happy. I bought a new purse yesterday. Guys you might not understand the pleasure that can bring. But what about this...we also bought a 32" flat screen (which was totally a necessity because our main tv died). We now have HD on almost all of our channels. Welcome to 2011 Kingerys!

Another Random's Update

Just 'cause I'm feeling super random today...

• Thank you all for your encouraging words on my last post about being self coached. And I appreciate the suggestion to move my rest day to Monday. During my race training schedule, I'm the laziest person in the world on Mondays. For now unfortunately, I think I'm going to need the break after the two days of intervals. I'll probably adjust things as I go.
• Speaking of training... I am meeting the hubby on our trainers in T-minus 40 minutes for our first bike interval workout of the year. I think he's going to take pleasure in my torture. I don't' know why. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger - right? Right?
• Beth wrote a blog about optimal race weight the other day. It's from the Racing Weight Book that is sitting next to my bed I'm reading. According to the little formula that Mr. Fitzgerald lays out, to be at my optimal racing weight, I have to lose 18 pounds. Um... well... okay. Maybe I'll shoot for my "almost optimal racing weight". In any event, Beth and I are going to do this together - aren't we girl?
• Speaking of weight... I gained some weight over the holiday. I usually get uber depressed about this. This time, I just sucked it up, put on my big girl panties (literally) and am taking care of things. It's amazing what eating well again can do for your mind and body (although, I'm missing my cookies. There... I admitted it) I feel good.
• And speaking of food - we went to Panera today. YUM. I love their Asian Chicken Salad. It's sooooooo good. And I get to meet Meredith tomorrow for lunch at Noodles and Company. Remember... the crack mac and cheese dealer that I love. :) Yeah, don't think I'll be doing the mac and cheese, but you just never know.
• I ordered my Kestrel today. Another inanimate object to fall in love with! :) I'm so excited... she's going to be a beaut!
• Oh, I also ordered my new Avia's. I went back and forth with whether or not I should get the Bolts which are the racing flat or the Lite III which are the cushion. I decided to not be all crazy and stuff and got the Lite III's. I think it was a smart choice. For now.
• Being on Trakkers is like Christmas. I like Christmas. Our sponsors are amazing!
• REV3 and Team Type 1 have partnered up for this year. Super exciting for both parties if you ask me. Here's the article if you are interested. And yes, I have a vested interest in both parties, but whatever - it's still exciting. :)
• So Team Type 1 is running across the country this year. Running people... 3000+ miles. There are 10 guys, all Type 1 diabetics. They will start in California and end in New York on World Diabetes Day. My hubby is managing the "race" per say (it's not an official race - he is forming the route and everything) and the guys. It's going to be awesome. These guys are amazing. I'm hoping to be there at the start, and at the end. Probably along the way a little too.
• Did you watch the Bachelor the other night? Yeah, we didn't either (ha... yeah we did). I always make a prediction of who the desperate man or woman will pick. I have a good track record going on. I chose the girl that got the first impression rose. I was *this* close to picking the girl who slapped him when she got out of the car or the girl with the fangs. No. Not really. But he did keep them both didn't he?

What's random in your life now?

Whew...

It's all sinking in - the fact that I'm going to be part of an amazing team, that I'm going to have some amazing sponsors, and that I better work my tail off to have a great season. Nothing like the motivation of 40 great teammates! :) A super big thanks to Carole and Charlie for giving me this opportunity! And a big thanks to Meredith and Chris too - love you guys!

So a little more about the Trakkers stuff (tell me to shut up if it's too much... I'm on a little excitement high so I won't talk about it forever... I promise!).

First, we race the Rev3 series. I'm super excited about this because I've heard such amazing things about the races. Honestly, I haven't heard a single negative! Tom and I were planning on doing one of them before Trakkers came along, but now I'll add a few more to the list. I'm planning on doing the half in Knoxville in May, the half in Portland in July (which I'm totally excited about since I've never been to Portland!!!!) and then the half at Cedar Point in September. And maybe if I'm good, I can convince the hubs to take me to Costa Rica in 2012 for my birthday! HA! Come join us... it's bound to be a great time!!!

We'll be riding Kestrels this year. Don't know much about Kestrels??? Check out what the winner and runner up in IM Cozumel were riding!!! They are amazing bikes and I've heard nothing but praises for them! And while I have a ginormous place in my heart for Flica, my Orbea, I'm super excited to get one of these bad boys (or in my case bad bitches...)

(**With that being said though, if anyone knows someone who is looking for an amazing tri bike, I have one for sale! :) It's a 2008 Orbea Ora in impeccable condition (we baby bikes in this house as they mean more to us than most inanimate objects should). It's a size 52 (I'm 5'7.5" if that helps), red, carbon beauty. Contact me if you know anyone who would be interested!**)

Finally, we're running in Avia. I'm heading out today to test some and see what I like since I've never run in them before. I'm such a dork though and love the skull and cross bones that has been associated with them! And the bright colors. So I sound like a total girl or what? HA! I'll let you know what I come up with!

So that's the happenings as of now. Thanks everyone for your congratulatory messages - you made me feel all warm and fuzzy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Training is going well... I finally feel like I'm back in somewhat of a groove. It's nice. I feel energized and I'm excited again. I really do feel that the down time I took, as hard as it might have been on me mentally, was really a blessing. It's funny how fast we are to question our abilities and if we are doing things right or wrong. I've learned that there isn't a perfect equation and what might be best for me, isn't best for someone else (although I must say... there are a lot of you that shared my feelings and frustrations and I appreciate you voicing those to me!)

Oh, and one more little thing... Jodi, at RunJodiRun did a Thursday Thumbs Up about me. It was fun to answer the questions and tell a little more about myself and my swimming/biking/running obsession. Head over there and check it out (yeah, I'm tootin' my own horn...) Thanks Jodi!

They like me...

I'm super excited to announce that I am officially part of the Team Trakkers family!!! I've been bubbling at the seams, hoping that it would all work out and it did. The triathlon Gods must like me!

I'm so thrilled and honored to know that I'll get to represent the green in 2011 and race with an amazing group of athletes. And I was super excited to hear that some of my blogging friends were chosen too... you sneaky little buggers!

So, I guess I should start training, I mean, my first Trakkers race is 158 days away!

WOOHOO!